These are days for improvising
6:00 am on Saturday (yep, first of March đ)
The weatherâs cool and, with no electricity again this morning, the plan is to hop on the bike for a ride. I was thinking, if things were different here, Iâd go all the way to Artemisa to visit my gran and my aunts. No idea how things are over there, since I havenât managed to call them. Iâll try as soon as I get some coverage outside this blackout area.
Itâs about 60 km to Artemisa, not that much really. I could even stay over and come back in a couple of daysâor the next. But itâs quite a long way to go on the road, on my own, and thatâs not safe. I wish I could say otherwise⊠I just hope this reality changes one day in my life.
Still, I could do that same distance right here in Havana if I rode to Old Havana three times. I reckon itâd take me longer, with all the traffic and lights in the city. The pace would be different⊠but I could plan it out and see how I manage.

Iâve got these biscuits my mum sent me a few days back, along with some things my sister sent too⊠birthday presents started rolling in from the very first of March đ. Honestly, the biscuits are such a treat in the mornings, dunking them in coffee. And when I grab a couple, I wonder which animals will pop up.
The cover photo for this post I snapped yesterday. Funny thing is, that same morning I dreamt I was on my bike and bumped into an old uni mate. I was so happy I forgot about the bike (me, whoâs glued to it!) and went off to chat with her. I saw her just as I knew her back then. I suppose she has changed; we all do.
Weird to dream of Jenny Carralero! Didnât even know where she was⊠turns out sheâs in Madrid, with a Domestika page đ. Perhaps I went to the future! Who knows? I hadnât been thinking about her these days, but she showed up right in my dream.
At one point I looked around and couldnât spot the bike, and I got stressed out. In the dream it felt like real anguish. Then a guy called me over and showed me heâd locked it up with three others. I was so relieved to see it safe. I thanked him loads and then went off to fetch the cow⊠hahaha⊠yes, ridiculous. I had a cow with me. In the dream I laughed at myself, calling it over, but it wouldnât budge. Thatâs why I chuckled when I pulled out these two biscuits from the packet.
Time to head off⊠catch you later. Iâll jot a few notes as I go, you know, the usual. I want to join in the #SundayChitChat. No telling when this post will go live⊠maybe from some pretty spot in town. I donât want to plan too much. These are days for improvising. Whatâs really on my mind now is the food in the fridges. You buy it with such effort, only for it to go offâŠđ

A few hours later...
Imagine youâre at a cycling event or raceâwhatâs most important to you: crossing the line first, being among the first, orâŠ? Finish the thought with a bit of rambling.
Weâd also love you to share a motivational cycling phrase and a personal story about speed⊠speed can be fast or slow. The choice is yours.
I don't think I'll be participating in such a competitive race, ha ha ha... But the truth is that triathlons appeal to me. So I'm not ruling anything out. I don't even know where the road will take me, I just know that whatever you focus your attention on is where all your energy goes, and from there to participating in a triathlon event, it's not such a big leap, right? And I don't think I care about finishing among the first, I just care about finishing. That would be very rewarding for me, for my self-confidence. Like the little challenges I allow myself to take on when I get on my bike.
After all, cycling isn't a journey, but rather a series of moments that change your life.
We all have moments of collapse... And we also have choices: we get up or we stay there lying down. And I believe that every time I go out cycling, it's material that I put into this improved version of myself.

And speaking of collapses... I passed by ISDI, well, ISDI no longer exists. The Higher Institute of Industrial Design is now a sad sight.



The building had been experiencing structural problems for years and was never restored, despite being a school, and part of the façade had already collapsed... A further collapse was the last straw, and it was completely demolished.
As I write this, I am sitting in a park in Plaza de Armas.


I attended a book presentation. No, I did not buy it because the subject matter did not catch my attention. Every Saturday at 11 am, books are presented here. And you can have your copy signed by the author.

Then I saw the members of GiganterĂa Habana, a street theatre group with a very interesting history.
https://youtube.com/shorts/mInIcEQtpew?si=jUqE62KvaPEASJ1u
I'll stay here for a few minutes, take some photos, and then go home. By 2:00 pm, I should be walking through the door.
I brought a snack I made myself: coconut, passion fruit and pineapple pudding. It's time to recharge my batteries.
đ€
Ahhh, I remembered the story about speed... Well, I think I basically always go very slowly with everything. Getting dressed, getting ready to go out, housework... Everything... Or almost everything, so as not to generalise. Every now and then I reach my goal.
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@ewkaw, đ thank you so much. Happy Sunday!
Live slow, ride fast! đđ
So without getting political because I don't want to cause you any problems, why is it not safe to cycle out of the city - is it controlled by criminals out there? Hopefully you did see the future and you're in Madrid! We just have luxury problems in Europe compared to you.
The triathlons, do you run as well? Before I started cycling I was a runner, well.. with a two year pause because I had to stop because of a recurring injury, weak joints so I decided to stop running after a podiatrist told me it would be better. It's so much different than cycling, when I'm exhausted on the bike I can just do 'active recovery' and rest while I'm still pedaling, just a little slower. No such thing while running đ
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No, donât worry, youâre not getting me into trouble. Itâs not that the area is controlled by criminals. It may happen in specific places, but in a country with so much poverty and economic hardship, crime tends to rise. Imagine a woman alone on a road â sheâs very vulnerable to someone attacking her just to steal her bicycle, leaving her unconscious at best. Iâve also heard of cases of sexual assault. Even men are cautious about going out alone.
Iâve never been a runner; I only ran as part of my training, since I was a badminton player. And swimming â well, I donât really swim long distances either. But all of that can be trained⊠canât it?
so sorry :(
Los sueños son una dimensión de nuestra vida , o somos un sueño o un elefante nos sueña, o somos el elefante soñando
đ Me encanta este comentario.
What an interesting dream you had, a great mix of things, I guess between the past and the future, although the present is also there with the bicycle. The cookies remind me of some I had in Argentina when I was little. It was always a surprise which one I would get. I had that wonderful feeling, and I'm glad you went on a great outing, combined with a book presentation and a street theater show... all that in just a few hours.
Why not take that trip? It's a bit far, but you have to be safe and take precautions. I really hope things get better, not just there but in many parts of the world where things are so bad. Happy Women's Day!đ€
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đ
Happy Women's Day!
Yes, it was a lovely ride. Afterwards I came back most of the way along the MalecĂłn, right by the sea. There was a bit of wind⊠but when I crossed the Playa municipality, the progress of my cycling activity got lost. It happens because the smartwatch restarts. The activity in progress, collecting data such as calories, map, etc., is lost before it can be sent to Strava once finished. So frustrating. Thereâs something odd about that area â the signal gets lost, or I donât know. I rode 28 km yesterday. Such a shame!
Thank you, Avecilla, đ y ten un lindo dĂa.
I wouldn't even make it 3 kilometers... walking! Hahaha, well done! I don't know much about these things, but I think that when you lose signal, you lose your progress.
Que tengas un dĂa espectacular!đ€
Gracias ;)
đ€
đ
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Isn't that the Santa Isabel Hotel in the picture under your bike? !STRIDE !wine !HOPE
Your comment made me realise I had a slip: I mixed up the squares. đ I was actually at Plaza de Armas, and indeed, thatâs where the hotel is. Did you stay there?
That would have been a little bit expensive... !INDEED. But I've lived for about a year in La Habana, the first month or so in Tryp Habana Libre (where I had my office) and later on in Edificio Flores at the 5ta Avenida (you might know that one as well).
You can imagine that we've passed quite some time in La Habana Vieja !LOL
Yes, I know both places. I bought the bike second-hand, actually from a foreign student who was leaving and selling it for 200 USD.
Nowadays lots of people have bicycles, and thereâs a group especially dedicated to gravel riding â they even hold competitions. They organised one just recently.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2346426968896325/posts/2898605257011824/
Scroll down and youâll spot the winners.
I only saw a post and a few comments, but I quickly checked out the group. Expensive material it looks like... Specialized, Canyon,...
How many persons generally participate in this kind of events?
!STRIDE !HOPE !wine
I didnât go to that event, so I canât tell you for sure, but if you have a look at the photos and videos, you might get an idea. I think quite a few people go along to compete or just to watch. But what I do know is that there are loads of people here with bikes from top brands.
There are also some bikes for sale there; you can check the prices.
And there are no results published?...
It's great that you've got access to this, my friend! Times have been different...
!INDEED !wine !STRIDE
Yes, there on the Facebook page I gave you.
Thanks!
Oh really I must have missed those. Will take a look again when I'll have the time for it !HOPE !STRIDE !wine
You can really ride this bike in Cuba? I mean even with how the roads are in Havana, not to mention outside of Havana (at least about almost 15 years ago but I don't think it changed a lot - OMG is is such a long time ago already....?....) !WEIRD !wine !PIZZA
The streets are full of potholes. Yes, itâs a bit tricky, but you can ride that bike carefully. There are places, of course, where I canât go. In fact, Iâve wanted to join a group that goes out to neighbouring towns, but they take gravel routes and with mine I just canât.
Thank you! So then⊠youâve actually been to Cuba!
Gravel Bikes? Are you serious? I honestly can't remember having seen even 1 bike... !wine !WEIRD !STRIDE
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